The Foreign Service Journal, September 2003

work practices that made them feel that they were per- ceived as second-class members of the Foreign Service: • Exclusion from the Diplomatic List for most specialists at most overseas posts. The consequences of this lack of diplomatic status include: less clout in deal- ing with host country officials; vulnerability to police harassment and demands for bribes; and lack of immu- nity in case of legal problems. One specialist who had to curtail early from a post for family reasons was sued for breach of contract by his landlord for $250,000. The embassy told him they couldn’t help him with his legal problem, but “if you were an FSO we could help you.” Back in Washington, State’s Office of the Legal Adviser told him the same thing. There are also economic ramifications. Specialists not on the Dip List have to pay host-country taxes (like value-added tax in the E.U.); are often unable to bring in a nanny from a third country; are prohibited from bringing in a second car; and face greater restrictions in importing and exporting consumer goods. This exclu- sion from economic benefits weighs particularly heavily on lower-paid specialists and their families. Adding insult to injury, some IMSs note that even though they are not on the Dip List, they typically are considered essential personnel and are among the last to leave a post during an emergency. • Lack of professional status at post. While practice varies from post to post, few specialists (other than Regional Security Officers) are regularly invited to country team meetings. While ambassadors and other senior managers often hold meetings at post for junior officers, such meetings are rarely, if ever, held for spe- cialists. Specialists are seldom invited to post functions and receptions (though as a couple of respondents noted, those who ask to attend usually are permitted to do so). Cash awards for outstanding performance are given less frequently to specialists than to officers and when they are conferred, the amounts are generally smaller. Veteran IM specialists observe that they are almost never called upon to serve as acting admin officer, no matter how well-qualified they are to do so. Similarly, even a very experienced FMO may be officially under the supervision of a junior FSO, and may have a lesser title (attaché vs. second secretary). Finally, FSOs have a commission from the president which is confirmed by the Senate — specialists do not. One HR official tells the Journal , “It’s [just] a piece of paper you can hang on your wall,” but some specialists still resent not having one. • Specialists’ physical workspace and equipment is often substandard, especially when compared with that of FSOs. This is especially irksome to IMS personnel, who sometimes have to share desks and even computers. One IMS reports that his post is building a new consulate building, providing an individual office to each FSO, including extra rooms for expansion. Meanwhile, he reports, “there will be two desks for four full-time direct-hire Americans” in “two small offices.” • Training opportunities vary enormously. Some specialists are very pleased with the training they’ve F O C U S 26 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 Foreign Service Specializations Specialist Skill Group..........................................Total Financial Management Officer ..............................................170 Human Resources Officer ...................................................... 84 General Services Officer ........................................................221 Information Management Specialist ....................................791 Information Management Technical Specialist ....................170 Information Technology Manager ........................................245 Diplomatic Courier ..................................................................94 Psychiatrist ..............................................................................15 Diplomatic Security Special Agent ....................................1,215 Security Engineering Officer..................................................189 Security Technical Specialist ..................................................54 Construction Engineer ............................................................59 Facilities Maintenance Specialist ..........................................158 English Language Officer ........................................................22 Information Resource Officer..................................................28 Medical Officer ........................................................................37 Medical Technologist ................................................................9 Health Practitioner ..................................................................64 Printing Specialist......................................................................7 Office Management Specialist ..............................................816 Miscellaneous ........................................................................ 25 Total ....................................................................................4,473 Note: The State Department employs 20 categories of specialists, listed above. It only recruits for 19, however, because Information Technology Managers are promoted from within the department. USAID and the Foreign Agricultural Service also employ a few Foreign Service specialists. — Bob Guldin